When the King Revealed the Truth

"If something like that exists..." she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, "it could change the balance of power between kingdoms... or even empires."

Leon nodded again.

"That’s exactly why I’m taking this seriously."

Then his voice lowered slightly.

"They also spoke of outsiders."

That single word sent a subtle ripple of tension across the table.

Rias raised a brow immediately.

"Outsiders?" she repeated, leaning back in her chair. "You mean people from beyond our lands? Foreign kingdoms?"

Leon shook his head slowly.

"Not beyond our lands," he said quietly.

His gaze moved across the table.

"Possibly beyond our world."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Even Syra’s usual teasing expression disappeared, replaced by a rare look of genuine uncertainty.

Rias exhaled softly.

"Well," she muttered, "that just made things significantly stranger."

Leon continued.

"And they mentioned a place called Guardian Village."

Nova’s fingers tightened slightly where they rested on the table.

Her eyes lifted toward him.

"That sounds less like a village..." she said softly, her voice thoughtful.

"...and more like something hidden."

Leon nodded once.

"It may be."

He then explained everything the three old prisoners had told him—the names, the fragments of knowledge, the strange connections between them. He didn’t go into every detail aloud, but it was clear that the conversation in the prison had been far deeper than simple rumors.

As he spoke, the expressions of his wives gradually changed.

Curiosity.

Concern.

Thoughtfulness.

Syra slowly exhaled.

"So those old men just revealed all of this to you?" she asked.

Leon nodded.

"They had little reason to lie."

He paused for a moment before continuing, his fingers resting lightly against the edge of the table.

"Not a chance," Leon added calmly. "Because what they said is true. I tested it myself."

Several of the women looked up at that.

Leon continued, his tone steady.

"I bound them with a blood contract."

The words landed heavily.

"Now they are my subordinates. If they had lied, the contract would have triggered immediately. Their hearts would have stopped before they even finished speaking."

He looked around the table.

"But it didn’t."

Rias leaned forward slightly, crimson hair sliding over her shoulder.

"What?" she said, eyes narrowing with interest. "You’re serious?"

Leon’s eyes darkened slightly as he recalled the moment in the prison cell.

"The first man looked straight at me after the contract formed," Leon said slowly. "I asked him again if everything he said was the truth."

His voice lowered just a fraction.

"He said... ’yes.’"

The words lingered in the air.

Tsubaki’s brows pulled together, her disciplined composure cracking just a little.

"Truth..." she murmured. "That’s... unsettling."

Leon nodded slowly.

"The one of them said something else."

Lira watched him carefully now, her icy blue eyes sharp with thought.

"What did he say?"

Leon spoke quietly.

"He said our world is far more mysterious than we believe."

The dining hall fell silent again.

Even the morning sounds from outside—the faint rustle of leaves, distant footsteps of servants—felt far away now.

Syra leaned back in her chair, folding her arms as she exhaled slowly.

"So let me get this straight," she said, her tone half skeptical, half intrigued. "Ancient empires, mysterious element crystals, outsiders, hidden villages... and old prisoners who claim the world itself might be built on lies."

Rias smirked faintly.

"That sounds like the beginning of a very dangerous story."

Cynthia remained thoughtful.

"Or the truth no one wants to look at."

Leon gave a small nod.

"That’s everything they told me."

Leon trusted his wives completely. He had no fear that this information would leak beyond this room. Each of them understood the weight of what they were hearing. That was why he chose to share the truth with them openly, recounting everything the three elders had revealed with careful clarity.

The room had grown very quiet by the time he finished.

No one rushed to speak. The truth he had laid before them carried too much weight for careless words.

His silence confirmed enough.

Nova slowly folded her hands on the table, her sharp green eyes studying him with calm precision.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

Leon didn’t answer immediately. His posture remained relaxed, but something colder settled behind his golden gaze—something deliberate, something already decided.

"I will end the war between Aurelian and Gary," he said simply.

The words were quiet.

They did not need to be louder.

A subtle tension settled over the room like a tightening thread.

Rias leaned forward slightly, crimson hair falling over one shoulder as her eyes narrowed with interest.

"And then?" she asked.

Leon rested his forearms on the table.

"Then," he said calmly, "Moonstone and Nagarath will be fully unified under one rule."

Cynthia drew in a quiet breath, the composed woman rarely showing surprise, yet the scale of his words still caught her attention.

"And Skyfall?" she asked carefully.

Leon’s lips curved into the faintest smile.

"One step at a time."

Then his gaze moved across the table, lingering on each of them.

"But remember something," he added quietly. "Peace will not be easy to keep, my wives."

The room shifted.

The earlier trace of playfulness had vanished.

What remained was something sharper. Focused.

Sona reached across the table and gently placed her hand over his wrist. Her touch was warm, grounding.

"We knew this peace wouldn’t last forever," she said softly.

Leon looked at her hand for a moment before nodding once.

"But I needed it," he admitted.

His gaze moved around the table again—at Rias, Nova, Cynthia, Sona, Syra, Natasha... the women who stood beside him not just as wives, but as partners in everything he carried.

"I needed you."

Something in the air softened.

Even Syra, who usually carried a mischievous smile, stayed quiet.

Natasha didn’t make one of her usual sharp remarks either.

Rias exhaled slowly before speaking again, her voice lower now.

"We’re not ornaments, Leon."

"I know," he replied.

"Then don’t carry everything alone."

Her eyes held his firmly, daring him to deny it.

For a moment, the king disappeared.

The man remained.

"I won’t," he said.

Outside, sunlight climbed higher.